Alpine Lakes of Taiwan on registered cover

Following earlier releases in 2014 and 2017, Chunghwa Post issued Alpine Lakes of Taiwan Postage Stamps III. This issue is focusing on four lakes that sit at elevations between 2,100 and 1,200 meters: Jiemei (Sister) Lakes, Cueifong Lake, Yuanyang Lake, and Songluo Lake. The set of four stamps is released on 21.3.2018.

Other stamps on this cover:

Berries (Ribes formosanum), issued on 17.4.2013.
Dragons and Carp (Longsan Temple, Lukang), issued on 14.2.1997.
Hosui Asian Pear (from set Fruit), issued on 18.8.2017.


Thank you Li Ming!

Cover and stamps from Russia

I received cover from Russia, from Krasnodar. Cover have two stamps: Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit, Vladivostok, issued on 31.8.2012. and The 100th Anniversary of Radio Electronic Reconnaissance in Russia, issued on 29.6.2018.

Back side of cover is also interesting. There's two special postmarks: First is dedicated to Day of astronomy and second to FIFA World Cup 2018.

Inside was two beautiful mini sheets: First is History of the Russian Cossacks, issued on 20.8.2010.

Second is Museum of Wooden Architecture and Folk Art - Malye Korely, issued on 1.8.2011.



Thank you Dmitry!

Japan: Registered cover sent from Okinawa

My friend Li Ming sent me also registered cover from Japan, from Shiraho on Okinawa Islands. There's a nice First day postmark, but i don't know what's the occasion. He used seven different stamps on this cover:

Prefectural Stamps - Okinawa, issued on 21.6.2000.
World Performing Arts Festival 2000, issued on 28.6.2000.
Letter Writing Day, issued on 23.7.1987.
Letter Writing Day, issued on 23.7.1986.
International Year of the Elderly, issued on 1.10.1999.
World Aeromodel Championships, Kasaoka, issued on 25.9.1995.
The 10th Anniversary of Accession of Emperor Akihito, issued on 12.11.1999.


Thank you Li Ming!

Registered cover from China: Sights of Kashgar

I received registered cover from China with complete set of stamps Sights of Kashgar, issued on 9.6.2018. Kashgaris an oasis city in Xinjiang, People's Republic of China. It is one of the westernmost cities of China, near the border with Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, and Tajikistan. With a population of over 500,000, Kashgar has served as a trading post and strategically important city on the Silk Road between China, the Middle East, and Europe for over 2,000 years.

Other stamps on cover:
Tibetean Bunting, issued on 1.4.2002.
Yunnan Nuthatch, issued on 1.1.2004.
Greeting stamp, issued on 8.8.2013.
Environmental protection, issued on 1.1.2004.


Thank you Li Ming!

Revitalisation of Historic Buildings in Hong Kong II

I received registered cover from Hong Kong with whole set Revitalisation of Historic Buildings in Hong Kong II, issued on 25.4.2017. On this six stamps you can see six buildings: VIVA Blue House, Oi!, Green Hub, Stone Houses Family Garden, PMQ and Mallory Street. Other two stamp on cover is from set of definitives Landscapes of Hong Kong: Basalt Island and High Island Reservoir East Dam  issued on 24.7.2014.


Thank you Li Ming!

Europa Bridges on cover from Germany

I received cover from Germany with stamp Europa 2018: Bridges, issued on 3.5.2018. On this stamp you can see "Rheinkniebrücke" in Düsseldorf in the front and the Oberkasseler Brücke in the background. These are two of the of the 7 bridges built (between 1951 and 2002) in Düsseldorf to cross the Rhine river. Second stamp is definitive flower stamp Common bluebell, issued on 8.6.2017.


Thank you Melanie!

Russia: FIFA World Cup 2018

The 2018 FIFA World Cup was the 21st FIFA World Cup, and it took place in Russia from 14 June to 15 July 2018. It was the first World Cup to be held in Eastern Europe. I was lucky to receive cover with two special postmarks: One dedicated to 315 years of Saint Petersburg, and second dedicated to 2018 FIFA World Cup. Stamp on cover is from set of eight stamps dedicated to this event, and i also received two mint stamps (on picture bellow). Stamps are issued on 10.5.2018.

Thank you Evgenia!

Iceland: Ísafjörður

Ísafjörður is a town in the northwest of Iceland. According to the Landnámabók (the book of settlement), Skutulsfjördur was first settled by Helgi Magri Hrólfsson in the 9th century. In the 16th century, the town grew as it became a trading post for foreign merchants. Witch trials were common around the same time throughout the Westfjords, and many people were banished to the nearby peninsula of Hornstrandir, now a national nature reserve. The town of Ísafjörður was granted municipal status in 1786.

First stamp on postcard is from set Islands, issued on 6.9.2001. and second is Day of the Stamp, issued on 7.10.2005.


Thank you Wolfgang!

Niue: Utuko Reef

I received earlier cover from Niue, and this is my first postcard. Niue is an island country in the South Pacific Ocean, 2,400 kilometers northeast of New Zealand, east of Tonga, south of Samoa, and west of the Cook Islands. The first Europeans to sight Niue sailed under Captain James Cook in 1774. Cook made three attempts to land, but the inhabitants refused to grant permission to do so. He named the island "Savage Island" because, as legend has it, the natives who "greeted" him were painted in what appeared to be blood. The substance on their teeth was hulahula, a native red fe'i banana. For the next couple of centuries, Niue was known as Savage Island until its original name, Niuē, which translates as "behold the coconut", regained use.

These two stamps are from set Butterflyfish of Niue, issued on 20.9.2017.


Thank you Wolfgang!

Greetings from series: Faroe Islands

The Faroe Islands is a North Atlantic archipelago located 320 kilometers north-northwest of Scotland, about halfway between Norway and Iceland. The islands are an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark. Their area is about 1,400 square kilometers with a population of 50,322.

A lot of awesome stamps on this postcard:
Old Fire Machines, issued on 22.2.2016.
The Villages - Gasadalur, issued on 10.6.2003.
Old town Tórshavn, issued on 2.3.1981.
Historical documents, issued on 19.10.1981.


Thank you so much!

Cover from Hong Kong

I received cover from Hong Kong, with 6 nice stamps: one pair of stamps 150th Anniversary of Hong Kong Fire Service (from set of five), issued on 8.5.2018, and four stamps Basalt Island, from set Landscapes of Hong Kong, issued on 24.7.2014.


Thank you Ling Hui!

China: Romance of the Three Kingdoms

Romance of the Three Kingdoms is a 14th-century historical novel attributed to Luo Guanzhong. It is set in the turbulent years towards the end of the Han dynasty and the Three Kingdoms period in Chinese history, starting in 169 AD and ending with the reunification of the land in 280. The story – part historical, part legend, and part mythical – romanticises and dramatises the lives of feudal lords and their retainers, who tried to replace the dwindling Han dynasty or restore it. While the novel follows hundreds of characters, the focus is mainly on the three power blocs that emerged from the remnants of the Han dynasty, and would eventually form the three states of Cao Wei, Shu Han, and Eastern Wu. The novel deals with the plots, personal and military battles, intrigues, and struggles of these states to achieve dominance for almost 100 years.

This big mini sheet (182 x 65mm), is issued on 24.11.1994. It arrived in very damaged cover, but fortunately, it was very well protected inside.

This cover looks like postman was hungry! Two stamps also missing. Survived stamp is Apricots, from set Fruits, issued on 23.7.2016.


Thank you Nicole!

Liechtenstein: The 100th Anniversary of the Death of Gustav Klimt

This stamp set is dedicated to The 100th Anniversary of the Death of Gustav Klimt, great Austrian symbolist painter and one of the most prominent members of the Vienna Secession movement. Klimt is noted for his paintings, murals, sketches, and other objets d'art. Klimt's primary subject was the female body, and his works are marked by a frank eroticism. Early in his artistic career, he was a successful painter of architectural decorations in a conventional manner. As he developed a more personal style, his work was the subject of controversy that culminated when the paintings he completed around 1900 for the ceiling of the Great Hall of the University of Vienna were criticized as pornographic. He subsequently accepted no more public commissions, but achieved a new success with the paintings of his "golden phase", many of which include gold leaf. This stamp set shows paintings The Kiss (1907–08) and Death and Life (1910). Stamp are issued on 5.3.2018.


Thank you Rosmarie!

Greetings from series: Czech Republic

This is another postcard from Greetings from series, this time from Czech Republic, or Czechia, landlocked country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west, Austria to the south, Slovakia to the east and Poland to the northeast. The Czech Republic includes the historical territories of Bohemia, Moravia, and Czech Silesia.

On postcard is wonderful stamp Postcrossing, issued on 2.9.2015, but cancellation is on wrong place.


Thank you Anastasia!

Cover from Niue

Niue is an island country in the South Pacific Ocean, 2,400 kilometers northeast of New Zealand, east of Tonga, south of Samoa, and west of the Cook Islands. Niue's land area is about 261 square kilometers and its population, predominantly Polynesian, was about 1,600 in 2016. Traditional name for Niue is "Rock of Polynesia". Niue is one of the world's largest coral islands. Niue, whose capital is the village of Alofi, is a self-governing state in free association with New Zealand; and New Zealand conducts most diplomatic relations on its behalf. Niueans are citizens of New Zealand, and Queen Elizabeth II is head of state in her capacity as Queen of New Zealand.

Two stamps on cover are from set Coconut Crab, issued on 7.7.2001.


Thank you Wolfgang and Jinesh!

Chad: Postcard from N'Djamena

Chad is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It is bordered by Libya to the north, Sudan to the east, the Central African Republic to the south, Cameroon and Nigeria to the southwest, and Niger to the west. It is the fifth largest country in Africa. Chad has several regions: a desert zone in the north, an arid Sahelian belt in the centre and a more fertile Sudanian Savanna zone in the south. Lake Chad, after which the country is named, is the largest wetland in Chad and the second-largest in Africa. The capital N'Djamena is the largest city. Chad's official languages are Arabic and French. Chad is home to over 200 different ethnic and linguistic groups. The most popular religion of Chad is Islam (at 55%), followed by Christianity (at 40%).

This stamp is Arabian Bustard (Ardeotis arabs), from set WWF - Birds, issued on 24.7.2017.


Thank you Jinesh!